On The Hill

It's been awhile since I've hiked the "big hill," so when my friend asked me last week to go up Aspen Mountain, I was a bit reticent.

But I have grown so bored of Smuggler, the Hunter Creek Loop and Sunnyside that I agreed to go do something different.

I once again became reticent to go when I looked out the window last Thursday early morning and saw it puking snow. But we went anyway.

We didn't take the typical summer route via the Ute Trail that then follows the Couch chairlift to the top. We went the winter route, which is up the gut.

You forget about that grunt at the beginning, trudging up the Little Nell ski run. It was extra special because a fresh layer of hay had been thrown down and it was covered with freshly fallen snow. Hay is slippery, and so is snow. We had the forethought to bring ski poles for stability but we opted — for some dumb reason — to not put stabilizers on our feet.

But we are mountain women so we were able to deal with it just fine, although the descent was a pain and took longer than I wanted. It takes precision to walk down snow-covered rocks.

About halfway up the ascent, my friend announced that she wants to keep hiking Ajax with me, which I was amenable to. Then I realized there was an ulterior motive: She wants a friend to train with to do the Summit for Life together in December.

Ugh.

It's not that I don't support Olympian and liver transplant recipient Chris Klug, whose nonprofit puts on the fundraising event that has participants hiking Ajax at night to raise money for organ and tissue donation.

It's that I am not really that much of a joiner, especially with foot races. I used to run and train for marathons more than a decade ago and that suited me well back then for what I was trying to accomplish.

Plus, I really hate exercising at night. The one time I did do the Summit for Life several years ago, I sucked wind and hated everyone passing me.

But I do have a hard time saying no and I do love my dear friend. And I also could get my butt in better shape.

So, consider this is an official acceptance to the offer of trudging up the Big Rock for the next seven weeks in the cold, dark mornings. Sounds awesome!

You are on, Kim Allen. Let the training — and the fundraising — begin.

I can already taste that celebratory drink at the Sundeck when the hell is over.

April 2, 2018 — For the past five months, I've been listening to the people around me talking smack about this ski season's lackluster snow. I wish it had snowed more, too. And I wish I had gotten out there more. But the times that I have gone up

April 12, 2017 — Happy Wednesday, Aspen! Spring-like conditions exist today on the hill, with temperatures in the high-50s to low-60s, slush and some bare spots over on Shadow Mountain. This is it, folks; time to soak in the finals days of an awesome winter season.

April 11, 2017 — Anna Stonehouse was just cruising along this morning up on Aspen Mountain. The sun was shining with fast conditions this morning with spring slush this afternoon and warmer temperatures. See for yourself in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill.

April 7, 2017 — Happy Friday, Aspen! It’s a beautiful, quiet day on Ajax, with temperatures in the low-60s and overall awesome conditions for the end of the season. We recommend sticking to the top half of the mountain for the best snow. Get on out there and enjoy it while you can;

April 6, 2017 — Sunny Thursday out on Aspen Mountain today. Anna Stonehouse takes a couple of runs on this bluebird day and finds a couple of leftover powder stashes but recommends the fast groomers until this afternoon. See for yourself in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill.

April 5, 2017 — Good morning, Aspen and Snowmass! Erica Robbie mixes it up this morning and joins Snowmass Tourism’s Sara Stookey and Rose Abello for a few powder-ful turns at Snowmass. The ski area received 7-inches of snow overnight so conditions today are excellent. Temperatures are in the low-30s; the sky is blue and the sun is

April 4, 2017 — Powderrrrrrr Dayyyyyyy!!! 5″ of fresh snow was reported but it’s much deeper in spots on Aspen Mountain. Anna Stonehouse heads out for some fun powdery turns out on Ajax. See for yourself in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill.

March 31, 2017 — Happy Friday, Aspen! Shred season is in full force today, with icy, spring-like conditions on the hill. Temperatures are in the low-30s, winds are high in some areas and the visibility varies. Bonus: Few people out on the slopes! Erica Robbie has your #AspenOnTheHill report today.

March 30, 2017 — It’s a tough day to pick the proper lenses out on Aspen Mountain since it will be partly cloudy all day. Anna Stonehouse takes a run on the back of Bell Mountain only to discover that area will be better in the afternoon. See for

March 29, 2017 — What a gorgeous day on the slopes! Not to mention fresh snow from Tuesday’s rainy, snowy mix. Overall awesome conditions for the end of March. Check it out in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill.

March 28, 2017 — Anna Stonehouse thought that she was good and ready for summer to be here. It turns out, those 2″ of powder were really fun this morning. The snow continued to fall throughout the morning and it got a little sticky but she had fun nonetheless.

March 25, 2017 — Anna Stonehouse and Jeanne McGovern explore a new adventure out snowmobiling with Western Adventures Inc. in the Lenado area. See for yourself in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill. https://vimeo.com/209680743

March 23, 2017 — This Thursday started out sunny but will it bring snow? Anna Stonehouse takes a lap out on Aspen Mountain and recommends sticking to the groomers today. See for yourself in today’s edition of #AspenOnTheHill.